Strategic Planning

A strategic plan helps your club stay focused on what matters most, align your committee, and make informed decisions about where to invest time, energy and resources. It turns good intentions into structured action - so your club isn't just reacting season to season, but building deliberately toward where you want to be in three, five, or even ten years' time.

For clubs working toward Gold recognition in the Club Impact Program, a current strategic plan covering 3–5 years is one of the core requirements - making this one of the most valuable planning exercises your committee can invest time in.

Clubs with a clear strategic direction find it easier to:

• Align new committee members and volunteers quickly
• Make funding, sponsorship and grant decisions with confidence
• Track progress year on year, rather than starting from scratch each season
• Build a compelling case in grant applications and sponsorship conversations
• Progress toward Gold-level recognition in the Club Impact Program

A good club strategic plan doesn't need to be long or complex. At minimum, it should cover:

• Vision & values: What does success look like for your club, and what do you stand for getting there?
• Priority areas: Usually 3–5 focus areas (e.g. participation growth, facilities, volunteer sustainability, financial resilience)
• Goals & measures: What you're aiming for in each priority area, and how you'll know you've achieved it
• Timeframes: A realistic 3–5 year horizon, reviewed annually
• Ownership: Who on the committee is responsible for progressing each priority

Most importantly, a strategic plan gives your committee a simple question to use when making decisions:

You don't need to build a plan from scratch. Use these ready-to-go templates to get your committee moving:

How often should we update the plan? Review your strategic plan annually as part of your AGM cycle, and refresh it fully every 3–5 years or when your club's circumstances change significantly (e.g. a major facility change, a big shift in membership).

Who should be involved in developing it? Your committee should lead the process, but the best plans draw on input from coaches, life members, volunteers and even members themselves — a short survey or open forum can surface priorities the committee might miss.

Does this help with Club Impact Program recognition? Yes — a current 3–5 year strategic plan is one of the requirements for Gold-level recognition. Keeping your plan up to date and reviewed annually keeps you on track.

We're a small club with limited volunteer time — where do we start? Start with the One-page Strategic Plan Template. A short, honest plan your committee actually uses is far more valuable than a long document that sits in a drawer.